The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Four✨

I make my way up the stairs and down the hall into the room with the golden plaque on the door marked SIRIUS. My father is sitting on the red paisley couch facing the fire place, staring into the ash and unburned wood pieces. I hesitate before coming up behind him and overstuffed grey armchair. Dust floats into the air and I cough. I look over and Sirius is staring at me, his hands folded into a triangle, elbows resting on his knees.

"Lyra." he says. "It's such a beautiful name. I talked to Tara, your mother about it. Aurora was also in the mix. But Lyra ... it just has such peace to it. You hear it and fall in love. It's the name that makes everyone want to know the person. What do you think?"

"Knowing that ... " I say, sighing to myself. "That you picked it out ... it makes me love it more. I didn't have the normal life of a 14 year old girl. There were no school yard kids to make fun of it. Honestly there were days when I would be watching cartoons, someone would make fun of another kid for not having a father ... and even that would be better than nothing."

"I am so sorry, luv." His eyes are filled with sadness, and my heart aches for what could have been.

"Well, that's me. Lyra Lily Black."

He stops grinning and a sad expression crosses his face as he brings his hands to his chest, looking out the window at the rain. "Lily...of course, of course. Forgive me, I had almost forgotten about the service your mother did in naming you after that amazing woman."

"Did you two know a Lily? Is she a relative of my mothers?"

"She was my best friends wife. James Potter, Harry's father. Towards the end she was my best friend too. You and Harry are only born 3 days apart. Although Tara could never be on the same level as James, Lily, and I, to have the two of them pregnant together was a miracle."

My eyes widen and my mouth opens, searching for the words to say. "I am so sorry to hear that. I knew that the relationship you could have had with Harry haunts you, I just didn't know about the relation between the two of you."

He nods and asks, "How did you end up here?"

"Tara had obviously been planning taking her own life for a while. I never knew but she was making arrangements for me to come here. I was gifted a bank account with thousands of dollars worth of her savings money. We flew over here and I about died from the contact and the overwhelming amount of people I saw. When the house literally grew right in front of my eyes, I couldn't believe it. She dropped me off with an envelope of cash and a backpack with two pairs of pajamas in it. I didn't even know what day it was.

"I could tell that someone had been in the house. I wasn't too worried about being alone at first. Kreacher appeared in front of me and I cried hysterically, cowering in the front door. I don't know what she had done but I couldn't get out of the house. After a few hours I stopped cowering and Kreacher kept his space. I think he felt bad for me. A few days passed, I didn't move from that bench on the front. The hunger ... I'm sure you know better than me what it was like ..."

Sirius grimaces, his face twisted in the pain for the abandonment of his daughter. He wipes at his eyes and I know I should stop, but I can't.

"Remus came here one day and I screamed and cried that he was going to kidnap me. His first words were 'bloody hell, you're a spitting image of Padfoot.' It only confused me more but then he called Molly Weasley, bless that womans heart, and Tonks. I felt more at ease with women her. Molly cooked so much food my stomach was in literal knots of pain just smelling it. Tonks gave me a bath, she never stopped talking. She started crying and called for Molly when she saw my bruises all over my body."

"Tara hurt you?"

"My whole life. She had her good times though. And at least she didn't abandon me in America, I don't know what would have happened to me. The foster care system over there especially for a girl of my age ..."

Silence passes between us and my heart can't stop beating like crazy. I breath a sigh of relief, feeling more connected to him. It's not like it is his fault that he couldn't keep me, but at least he cold have kept me from Tara.

"So then, was that when they told you about me?" Sirius asks. "You grew up a victim of a mad woman only to find out your father is crazed mass murdered? Locked away for the last 13 years for killing innocent people? Selling out his best friends and sacrificing a baby?"

"By that point Lupin had left Hogwarts after making reparations. He told me about the man you guys call Wormtail. How he was responsible for it all, that he framed you. I would see copies of the Daily Prophet with you face on them and become enraged. How could they publish such bullshit? I was ... I already loved you. I was shown pictures of you and it all made sense. The pale skin, the untamable curly hair. Thanks for that, by the way."

I break the awkwardness of everything I've said by laughing to my self. He laughs with me out of politeness.

"And magic wise?" he asks.

"I've always had something ... I don't know. Something inside of me. Abilities that I knew weren't normal. I used to make my stuffed lion float through the air. Tara didn't like that at all. That is where the abuse started. I learned quickly how to contain. I can move things. Light things on fire."

Sirius' face becomes intrigued at this. I point at the fire place and the wood starts to burn. The room fills with warmth and he gasps.

"I have never seen anything like this before." he whispers.

"Severus Snape has been trying to teach me simple spells," he scoffs as I say Snape's name, "And I'm catching on fairly quickly. They wanted to send me to Hogwarts, I'm packed up and expected to go soon. Tonks was going to take me out shopping for the uniforms."

We sit in silence again. Sirius is mesmerized by the fire. I don't want to be away from him ... but the ability to go to school? To be with other people? To understand who I am?

I get out of the chair and kneel in front of Sirius, taking his calloused hands into mine.

"Please, Sirius. I need to go." My eyes plead with him as he looks down at me, his eyes again filling with tears, but his face smiling. "I don't want to leave you any more than you want me to leave. If I could stay here forever and learn everything about your family, my family, our family, I would. But ... I feel like this is my best option."

"Darling," he says running his hand down my cheek. "I will never keep you from the life you deserve."